When No One Can See
by Pooca
Summary: Ficlet. A group of bored Gryff. play an... interesting game. NOT T or D! ~H/G~, Hr/R, S/L, G/A, F/A... the list goes on and on. I take requests on Pairings for possible future Chapters!


{A/N: I was getting bored of my real story, Harry Potter and the OotP, so I decided to write this little fic. :-) At any rate, enjoy!}  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, he is not my love slave. But I know somewhere, somehow, he truly exists... I don't own UMain Street/U either. It's quite a good book though. By Sinclair Lewis.}  
  
BWhen No One Can See/B  
  
By Rjk2005  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The common room was silent from intense boredom. It was late on a Saturday night, and most students below fifth year had retired into slumber.  
  
Everyone seemed to had been dragged into a stupor. Since Voldemort's return, students were confined to their common rooms much more often than any other year before.  
  
Harry was sitting on the sofa next to Ron, who was fingering a chess piece.  
  
"Up for a game of chess?" Harry broke the hush, none too exuberantly.  
  
"Nah," Ron answered, with an implied sigh.  
  
Harry found himself staring at Ginny Weasley again. 'She's just your best friend's sister,' he pleaded with himself, but Harry was not heeding his mind's advice. He watched her tuck a strand of burning red hair behind her ear.  
  
Harry had gotten to know Ginny better the past August. Harry had jumped at the chance to stay at the Burrow for an entire month, but for the majority of the visit Harry found himself seeking solace in areas of the house where Ron and Hermione's arguments, which had grown bewilderingly playful, were not echoing.  
  
Over those four weeks, Harry had talked to Ginny more and more, ending the summer with them having a friendship, if not a close one. Harry was just happy he had found a companion for when Hermione and Ron finally admitted their obvious feelings for each other.  
  
Harry genuinely enjoyed Ginny's presence, and seeing her idly chatting with Hermione was not exception. He watched her cock her head and smile languidly.  
  
Colin Creevey interrupted Harry's thoughts.  
  
"Anyone for a game of exploding snap?"  
  
"No!" seemed to be the collective response, coupled with Ron's threats of hexing the next person to play with the explosive cards into oblivion.  
  
"Why don't we play a game?" Alicia Spinnet offered.  
  
"Like what?" George wondered aloud. "No more truth or dare, please. If I'm asked one more time to moon Professor Snape..."  
  
Katie Bell frowned. "And no more Spin the Bottle either." There was a collective sigh of relief among the males in the room. "I'm not about to watch Seamus and Lavender snog again." Everyone knew that the two fifth years were bewitching the bottle to stop at each other every time. It was a bit revolting, actually.  
  
Suddenly, Angelina Johnson found the answer. "I know!" she yelped, jumping to her feet. "Have any of you in Muggle Studies read UMain Street/U by Sinclair Lewis?"  
  
Finding no response, she continued. "In the book, they play this game."  
  
"Really?" Fred commented sarcastically.  
  
"Shut it. Anyway, everyone takes off their shoes and scatter them about. Then you turn off the lights for, I dunno, five, ten minutes? And whoever has the most shoes when the lights come back on wins."  
  
Seamus snorted. "What kind of game is that?"  
  
"The kind where you and Lavender are going to be in the same room in the dark," Fred defended, making quite a few students snigger in the process. "When no one can see."  
  
"Yes, I think you might just like this game," George concurred.  
  
"So we'll play then?"  
  
Angelina looked perplexedly at everyone's nodding faces. "Who is going to be charge of the lights?"  
  
Colin Creevey answered. "I will!" he yelped.  
  
"So it's settled. Everyone who wants to play: take off your shoes."  
  
Harry saw basically everyone take off their shoes, some more reluctantly than others.  
  
Hermione was not sure. "Should I play?" she asked Ron and Harry.  
  
"What do you have to lose?" Ron answered.  
  
"Anyway, no one can see you," Harry finished the thought.  
  
The three all removed their shoes, and Angelina spoke. "Okay Colin... seven minutes."  
  
"Right. Everybody ready?"  
  
There were general nods of assent.  
  
"ICaecus./I"  
  
The lights went out.  
  
There were a few squeals from a couple girls, and one Harry thought was a forth year boy. Harry heard Katie Bell giggle, murmuring 'Lee' and sighing. He decided to focus his attention on...well, anything else possible. He heard Hermione yelp and Ron laugh.  
  
"Got you good that time!"  
  
"Ronald Weasley!" Her bossy threat was reminiscent of Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"George!" A girl, Alicia maybe, was being harassed by one of the twins. "Get your hand..."  
  
Some laughter filtered from a corner where some boys were chucking shoes at each other.  
  
"Stupid...! My face!"  
  
"Serves you right."  
  
Harry decided to focus back on the game. He groped around for a shoe, and got down on his hands and knees. He was crawling on the floor when he collided with someone.  
  
"Ouch." He heard a girl faintly say sorry. Harry recognized the voice.  
  
"Ginny?"  
  
"Har... who-who's there?" she stammered. Harry assumed she must not know who he was. Then he understood this gave him a one-time opportunity. Nobody could see him... so he could find out, in truth, what he'd wondered about these last couple months. Did he...?  
  
Harry seized his chance, reaching out towards her face. He gently touched his index finger on her right cheek, and traced it down her face, resting it on her chin.  
  
And he kissed her.  
  
Harry felt a magic he had never known before. It surged through him in a wave, him body numbing in the softness in her kiss. He was happy, far happier than he had been before. He loved her, he knew that in an instant. He truly did. If he had only known... he would not have neglected her, neglected himself, all these years... if he had only known what was in front of him, even in Ron's sister...  
  
IRon's sister. Harry suddenly became conscious what was going on and he jerked away. 'Luckily,' he thought cynically, 'nobody can see.' Still under his believed shadow of the unknown, Harry intended to vanish, and had to bite his lip to stop from saying... what he felt. He began to slink away, but he was stopped.  
  
"Wait," Ginny said, sensing his departure, and reached out for his hand. Finding it, she held it tightly and lifted her left hand. Brushing away his hair, she gingerly traced his lightning scar on his forehead. Harry realized Ginny had known it was him...all along.  
  
"IConspicor/I."  
  
The lights came on. There was a flash, and Colin Creevey was grinning.  
  
"I took a picture..." he explained brightly, "...so now we'll all know what happened when no one can see!"  
  
{A/N: I really liked this one. I initially followed this with Ginny's POV, but then recognized the blatant overkill and nixed it. So sad. Anyway, if anyone thinks I should do, like, Hermione or Ron's POV, maybe a twin's or Colin Creevey's, just review and ask. I might just get around to it! By the way... if I were more a better drawer, I would have drawn a picture of the photograph Colin takes at the end. I have a pretty good idea what everyone was doing though! If you (and I mean you) have got half a mind to draw it, e-mail me at Rjk107@rcn.com!! Please! Thanks all...} 


End file.
